Harry Potter and the Wish that was Granted
by ElmarBear
Summary: Harry wishes for a guardian night after night and his father returns to guide him through his 5th year at Hogwarts. But before that can truly happen, Harry has to learn to trust James, trust himself and find happiness where he believes there is none.
1. Chapter 1  Not Truly

Harry Potter lay silently in his cramped room. Oversize clothes (once his cousin's) littered the floor and a large white snowy owl slept in a cage, she was one of the only visible signs that this boy was in fact a wizard.

A large purple bruise was beginning to show on Harry's side, it was the shape of a fat hand and Harry winced as he breathed in a little too quickly, and sent a sharp pain through his skinny torso. Tears threatened and he brushed them away, no, he wouldn't cry. He turned his face and smothered it in the pillow. _Please, anybody, an angel, come and help me this year. _Little did he know his daily prayer had already been answered.

He squeezed his green eyes tightly shut and rolled back over, sighed, then sat up, running his hand through his jet black messy hair. He slowly retrieved his favourite jumper from the floor, a large green item knitted by Mrs Weasley as it turned out, his favourite because it had his name POTTER on the back of it and underneath this, the number 7. Just like his Quidditch kit. The bruise was a reminder of what Harry got for mentioning his schooling whilst in the presence of his cousin. Dudley had asked him what the 7 stood for. Harry had told him, and was subsequently beaten and told never to wear the jumper again.

He carefully folded the jumper and laid it to one side, picking up a royal blue and white checked shirt Hermione had given him for Christmas last year and carefully pulling it on, leaving the top two buttons undone just for good measure. He was about to curl up once more when doorbell rang. He angled his ears towards the door and listened to his Uncles loud complaints,

"Bloody freaks, don't they own watches?" Then the creaking of the door, a gasp and another threatening voice,

"Stand back Dursley" Harry's heart leapt, he would recognise that voice anywhere! He could hear his Uncle stepping back in to the kitchen, hopefully with a wand at his throat. In three steps Harry was out of his room and it only took three more for him to throw himself in to his godfather's arms.

"Padfoot!" He knew he sounded like a three year old at Christmas but he couldn't help himself, especially since his Uncle was watching.

"Harry!" He felt one arm close around him and knew the other was still pointing a wand at his uncle. He pulled himself away and looked at his Godfather's face. It was clean shaven and the long black hair surrounding it had been cut to shoulder length but Sirius still hadn't lost the haunted look, the look 12 years in Azkaban had given him. He turned to look at his Aunt and Uncle who were cowering in the kitchen door.

"It's him! The murderer!" Petunia gasped and promptly fainted in to her husband's arms.

"Get out of my house!" Uncle Vernon roared, his beefy face turning purple and Harry grinned at him, watching Uncle Vernon attempt to remove Sirius could be interesting.

"Move, get in there and shut the door" Sirius threatened and narrowed his eyes; three red sparks flew out the end of the wand. Uncle Vernon didn't need telling twice, he might not approve of magic but he knew it was dangerous. With a last furious glare at the pair of them he hauled his beefy belly back out of sight and slammed the door shut.

With a wide grin on his face Harry hugged Sirius again,

"What are you doing here?" he asked, pressing his head against his Godfather's chest, though truthfully he had never been so pleased to see somebody in his life.

"We, are on a rescue mission" A voice behind Sirius stated and Harry peered around him to smile at Remus Lupin. His third year Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher and friend.

By the time Harry and Sirius had collected all of his belongings in to his large school trunk and gone downstairs, Lupin had dealt with his Aunt and Uncle, patiently trying to explain the situation before finally giving up and just writing it down for them instead.

_Sirius Black and I, Remus Lupin are removing Harry to a safer location after a strange event. This will not concern your lives in any way, Harry may return to you next year after he has been to school._

Harry wondered how stupid his Aunt and Uncle must be if they couldn't understand such a simple statement but merely shrugged to himself, that was their problem, not his. He was however curious about this, strange event.

"Harry, have you ever side apperated before?" Remus asked him, straightening his shabby robes and leading him out on to the pavement, bird cage in one hand. Harry shook his head, he had heard of apperation before, though never tried it himself, it sounded dangerous and unpleasant from what he had heard. They both watched as Sirius struggled on to road with the trunk and disappeared with a loud pop.

"Cool!" Harry grinned, Remus smiled,

"Hold on to my arm, very tightly, and do not let go. Understand?" Harry nodded and took hold of his arm, then, closed his eyes. Suddenly he felt like he was being squeezed through a very tight pipe and then, as quickly as it had begun, it was all over.

He opened his eyes and realised that they were standing in the hall of an old house surrounded by wizards.

"Quick the Wards!" He heard a familiar voice whisper, Arthur Weasley; this would mean Ron was here too! Suddenly Hermione Granger, one of his best friends grabbed his arm and pulled him out of the circle,

"C'mon Harry, you can come back down in a minute!" She led him past an old wooden door and up a flight of stairs that Harry did not trust, finally in to a bedroom.

"Hiya mate!" It was Ron, red hair all over the place and a large grin on his face. Harry greeted him enthusiastically then turned to look at Hermione,

"What were they doing?" He asked, inquiring about the Wards.

"Oh, them, they stop people finding the house, and apperating in to it I suppose, they had to remove them for a moment when Sirius and Lupin went to fetch you because of….." She trailed off, looking away for just a second "Anyway, welcome to the Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix!" She brightened again

"Order of the what?" Harry was confused now, and slightly suspicious

"Order of the Phoenix. A secret organization set up by Dumbledore to rival Voldemort as such, when the ministry of magic failed."

"So you've been here, with god knows who all bloody summer whilst I was stuck with the Dursleys!" Harry could hear his voice rising now, he didn't care,

"Dumbledore made us swear not to tell you Harry or else we would have, I promise!" Hermione begged, trying to make him calm, he turned away, seething.

"Look!" He showed her the large bruises on his side. "That's what I got for going back there!" She gasped and covered her mouth with her hands,

"Harry I'm sorry!" She pulled out her wand and muttered something quickly. Within seconds the bruises faded.

"Thanks" He muttered his anger was fading, and he really wanted to go catch up with Sirius, he had missed him, a lot. "Can we go downstairs now?" His eyes narrowed as Ron and Hermione glanced at each other,

"Er, Harry" Ron began uneasily , but he was interrupted by Sirius entering the room. Harry placed his forehead on the peeling wallpaper and closed his eyes as his Godfather motioned for his friends to leave; he had known they were hiding something, it frustrated him so much that whilst he told them everything; the scar hurting, the beatings, the lack of food they were so obviously keeping a secret and everybody seemed to know it.

"How are you Harry?" Sirius was right beside him now.

"Fine" Truthfully Harry was seething, "Just wonderful, just spent six weeks being beaten and starved whilst you lot hang out here having one big party" He heard Sirius turn to leave and his heart leapt "No wait! Sorry, I'm just tired, I didn't mean it!" He blinked open his large green eyes and stared pitifully at his godfather who was wearing maroon robes and old jeans. Padfoot smiled,

"Welcome to the Black Family house Harry Potter!" He opened his arms to indicate the room. "We are currently standing in one of twelve spare guest rooms though residence has been taken up most recently by young Mr Weasley and hopefully yourself" Harry nodded, seeing the brighter side now,

"But, that wasn't all I came to tell you about" Sirius lowered his voice and the bright smile on his face disappeared. Harry frowned. "Come here Harry" He was sitting on one of the two beds now. Slowly Harry crossed and sat beside him and Padfoot slung a casual arm around his shoulder, Harry looked at him.

"Please promise me Harry, that, even if you do not accept what I am about to tell you, you will not do anything rash" Harry nodded and felt a lump appear in his throat, he swallowed and ran his hand through his hair making it stick up even more, how bad could this be? "I do not know how or why or even exactly when but your father, James Potter has reappeared alive and is in this house at this very moment" Whatever Harry had been expecting, it wasn't that,

"You're lying" He pushed Sirius away and stood up, backing up against the wall "This is a cruel joke Sirius, even for you"

"Harry please, calm down" Sirius pleaded, but he didn't move towards him, "He arrived here four days ago, crying his eyes out 'bout you and Lily, he knows you're alive now, been begging to meet you"

"SHUT UP" Harry bellowed, making for the door now, "STOP BLOODY LYING" He turned pointing his wand at Sirius who had his hands in the air,

"Harry, I wouldn't lie about this, he was MY best friend Harry, MY brother in arms and your father. This isn't a joke please listen! He knows about the Dursleys and Azkaban, we have told him all of that, Remus and I, only two people have seen him apart from us, Dumbledore and Snape, we all agreed that you should be next, listen Harry!"

"So what if a man's come? He's lying, MY father's dead Sirius DEAD! The man's lying! For god's sake he is probably a death eater sent by Wormtail and Voldemort!" Harry could feel his eyes getting wet now, he blinked furiously, and yet, despite the denials a tiny part of him was beginning to wonder, what if it was his father? No, he pushed the thoughts away. He couldn't get his hopes up, he would only be more disappointed when Sirius admitted it wasn't true.

"No Harry, I know James, we have tried him under truth serums, they conform it is him but we didn't need them, you should have seen the way he cried Harry. You can't put that on, he was crying for you, you and Lily." Sirius broke off as Harry collapsed on to his knees, tears streaming down his face,

"Stop it" Barely more than a whisper, Sirius sighed,

"I knew this would be hard for you Harry but you've got to listen, he loves you and he wants to know you, more than anything Harry, more than anything in the world, I promise you I am not lying, Marauders' Honour." Harry closed his eyes and didn't resist as Sirius put his arms around him. "I love you Harry, you know I do and he does too. He knows you've changed. He accepts that, I promise. It is him"

They were both crying now,

"Not truly" Harry murmured in to his Godfather's robes, a final thought before like a black wave, sleep overcame him.


	2. Chapter 2 Nothing Rash

_Disclaimer: Alas no, Harry Potter does not belong to me :(_

When Harry awoke, darkness had fallen and silence filled the old house. He had had vivid yet fleeting dreams, mainly about the Dursleys and burnt pancakes and momentarily forgot where he was. Slowly it came back to him, Sirius, Remus, The Order, the house, his father, no, his fake father, his real father was dead, 14 years ago.

Suddenly he was filled with a terrible longing to go see this man, confront him, make sure he understood Harry did not believe him and never would. As quickly as he dared he sat up and found his glasses, easily slipping the round frames on to his face. Ron's snores filled the room and Harry could see his friend's mop of orange hair on the pillow in the old bed across from him. Ron was a deep sleeper; Harry didn't worry about waking him anymore.

Carefully checking that his wand was in his back pocket he lowered his socked feet to the floor and crept silently across the boarded floor. Just as he reached the door a floorboard gave a particularly loud creak and he froze as Ron mumbled something about cheese before turning back over. He shuffled in to the hall and stopped as an odd noise caught his attention. Sobbing.

"I'm so sorry Lils…" a sniff "…he…" another sniff "doesn't believe me, won't even see..." a short moan "..see me Sirius said, why hate me, why hate me? He would have loved you" a final sniff "I know he would, I do. I love you Lily"

The noise died away as Harry moved to the door of the bedroom at the end of the hall as quietly as he could his heart almost screaming in protest at not being able to comfort this man. He is putting it on Harry told himself, it is not true. As quickly as he dared he stepped in to the musty room.

The man sitting curled up on the bed had jet black hair just like his own, and it wasn't lying flat. Harry almost gasped at the similarities; curved jaw, high cheek bone, flat ears, short forehead creased with worry. But the eyes, they were different, Harry's were green yet James's eyes were hazel, a friendly hazel, deep, and caring yet sad, so so sad. Harry stood silent, hardly daring to breathe as James mumbled something incoherent in to a piece of fabric he held, then those caring hazel eyes suddenly spotted him.

"Harry." It came out a barely a whisper, "Harry," louder now, "I'm James, your father." Harry whipped out his wand without thinking and pointed it at the imposter.

"No, my fathers dead, stop lying" Harry's voice was laced with rage that bubbled inside him, yet it was himself that he was angry at. Why had James come back? He had lost his life protecting Harry, what was the point of him causing all the more heart ache when it happened again? All the more sorrow the next time Voldemort came looking? No, if James didn't love him then he wouldn't lose him again.

"Harry, it's me... honestly my beautiful boy" James had stopped crying and stood up now. Harry pushed away the urge to go straight to him, he had to protect him, too many people were hurt because of Harry.

"Get back!" Harry hissed the words yet James didn't seem to hear and took another step, "I said get back! James died because of me and Lily, she died because of me too! It's my fault she's dead, don't you see! Mine! Everybody will lose you if you love me and if you die because of me again; Sirius and Remus will never forgive me. Get back!" Although it was little more than a whisper Harry's throat felt hoarse and when he blinked a singular tear ran down his cheek.

"Harry please, it wasn't your fault, you know that! Lily and I, we loved you Harry, I'm real and I love you, promise." Now James was crying too, "You don't have to cut me off, feel here Harry" James took another step towards the old wooden doorframe where Harry stood and stretched his arm out. Harry hissed in disbelief. They both froze, almost sizing each other up, Harry didn't doubt it know, this man was real, but, how could he love Harry? He didn't even know him, Harry was just a stranger to him, did he really trust Harry already?

Very slowly and tentatively Harry reached out his palm to touch his fathers. You'll just lose him again, a voice inside kept telling him, yet for some reason Harry wasn't willing to listen, this man loved him, and was family, and all of a sudden that seemed like enough.

He heard James gasp as their palms met, almost as if he couldn't quite believe Harry was actually real. Tears were streaming on both sides now, and Harry was sure the whole house must have been able to hear his heart thumping.

Harry smiled as James looked curiously in to his face, and both seeming to draw strength from the simple notion they finally and silently embraced. Harry could feel deep comforting warmth coming from his father as he wrapped his arms around his torso and held him tight. He laid his ear on his father's chest and felt strong hands make calming circles on his back, slowly rubbing away all the guilt and sorrow.

He heard James murmur something in to his hair, and then he let go of him, a looked down in to Harry's eyes.

"I know about the war Harry, and Voldemort, and I promise you we can stand together throughout this, and that I will never ever leave you again" Harry could see his father's eyes shining. Suddenly shy he looked down at the peeling paint on the floorboard,

"Just promise not to do anything rash then, Prongs" He smiled and James laughed. A pure joyful laugh and it warmed Harry right to the bottom of his heart. Harry laughed too, and as they wrapped their arms around each other James replied,

"Never, I promise, nothing rash"

Harry felt like he was floating on the highest cloud. A dazzlingly pure sensation filled his heart and he lent gently on his father, his very own father. Love. Pure love, he knew Sirius loved him, Ron loved him, Hermione loved him, but this love was instinctive, and carried him away completely, he closed his eyes without hesitation and let the sleep that was looming crash down upon him. Because now he felt safe, wanted, and for the first time he could remember, truly loved by somebody who loved him for just being Harry.

X0X

"Harry, I know you're awake… you smile whenever my belly growls"

"Oh, that obvious then" Harry sighed and kept his eyes firmly shut, he could feel his father's strong arms around his back and smiled happily to himself, his father was there, not anybody else. James laughed,

"Why are you smiling?"

"You being here, I thought it was all a really good dream" Harry admitted. He sighed again then opened his eyes. Sunshine was pouring in to the room through the thick dusty window panes and Harry blinked before bleary looking for his glasses.

When he found them he realised that the room they were in was almost exactly the same as the Ron's room, yet all back-to-front. Harry wondered briefly what the house in Godric's hollow had been like but didn't want to push his father too far this morning. The curling faded wall paper let on how old the house was and Harry turned to get a good look at his father in the daylight.

His face was smooth and handsome as it had appeared in the moonlight but his eyes had changed. That friendly warmth was still there but the eyes shined with curiosity and a longing not that different to Harry's own as it turned out.

"Do you like Hogwarts Harry?" James suddenly asked in a soft voice and the question caught Harry off guard. He absent mindedly ran his hand through his hair whilst pondering.

"Yes, I do like Hogwarts, it's my home really." Harry chose his words carefully, not wanting his father upset before the day had even begun. James stomach rumbled again and Harry giggled,

"Race you down the kitchen!" Before Harry had even had time to react James had jumped up and was halfway to the door.

_Thank you to those of you out there being so patient! I got a little writers block at the start of the week, but I know what direction to go in now! x _


	3. Chapter 3 Not a Child

_Disclaimer: I would love to tell you l that I own Harry Potter, but I must not tell lies. So, with the greatest regret, I admit, Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs belong to J.K Rowling._

_Enjoy!_

The conversation at breakfast was light and easy. Everybody seemed to like James and him, Remus and Sirius were more than able to keep up a good healthy stream of interesting banter when they weren't insulting each other. He was pleasantly surprised by how happy Sirius seemed with James and if he hadn't know them he could have quite easily mistaken them for brothers. Soon the visitors went their separate ways and although Harry longed for some time with his father he found himself and Ron posted up to the second living room by Remus to clean out an old cabinet that was full of junk.

The morning went awfully slowly by Harry's standards as they removed trinket after trinket and examined them. The most interesting thing they found was a pair of blue robes that tried to strangle you if you so much as brushed against them. Harry was pleasantly busy trying to remove them from around Ron's neck and left arm when finally the Marauders reappeared and saved his best friend with a few casual wand flicks.

"Thanks guys!" Ron gasped, standing up and leaning heavily on the doorframe whilst James tried to make the robes go for Sirius who was doing his best to avoid them.

"What did Dumbledore want you for?" Harry asked as casually as he could, despite the fact he was itching to know what had happened. He rolled his eyes as James and Sirius cracked identical grins, sure he would have to do something silly before they would tell him.

"A hug Harry, then we will tell you!" James said, opening his arms wide. Surprised, Harry returned the motion gratefully for he was sure that they were going to ask him to do something much more horrible. He held his father tight for a couple of seconds as Sirius gave them both a bear hug then wriggled free and stepped back, looking inquiringly in to his father's face.

"I've been to the Ministry, they have confirmed who I am…. and, Dumbledore, wanted me to teach Care of Magical Creatures Harry, at Hogwarts" said James cautiously, placing his hands on Harry's shoulders. Harry's jaw dropped and he was shell shocked, he hadn't expected that. The disappointment must have shown on his face briefly before he pulled himself back together,

"That's great!" He tried to smile but it came out as more of a grimace, he could feel it.

"Harry if you don't want me to that's fine, I won't, I just thought, it would a good chance for us to get to know each other….." James continued hurriedly before breaking off, obviously upset by his son's lack of enthusiasm. Harry gasped as James stepped back away from him and fixed with a look he couldn't quite place.

"No! Take the job! Sorry, when you first came in, I thought…." Harry faltered, feeling a bit stupid for assuming the impossible. Of course Sirius wasn't free, there was no way to prove he hadn't murdered the muggles! "I thought maybe Sirius was free" He finished lamely, looking down at the floor. To Harry's surprise James grinned and grabbed him in a hug again.

"That's alright kiddo" He said in to Harry's ear, and Harry was instantly relieved "I was disappointed too when I found my sudden return couldn't free him but guess what!"

"What?" Harry shook his head, dazed as James held him at arm's length once more.

"Sirius can come to Hogwarts as Padfoot, even Dumbledore said!" James said excitedly looking relieved as Harry responded much more enthusiastically then before.

"That's great, wonderful, amazing, fantastical and amazing!" Harry stated joyfully without drawing breath. James and Sirius laughed at Harry's look as Ron pointed out he had said amazing twice and in much higher spirits the four of them began to ransack the cabinet with much more gusto than before. Even pausing to play around when they found an old snitch.

XOX

The mood at tea however, was strained. Despite the Marauders constant jokes and talking, Harry could sense that there was something wrong. Every time the Order was mentioned by Sirius, Remus or James, Molly and Arthur Weasley would quickly try and change the subject, and this didn't go unnoticed. About halfway through the meal Lupin was called out to go speak to Dumbledore and by the time the meal finally ended they were all sitting in silence. Starting with Tonks, one by one the members of the order thanked Mrs Weasley for the dinner and went their separate ways.

Finally Harry brought up a question that many people wanted to ask.

"So what's happening in the Order then?"

Sirius and James appeared delighted at the question and James began to speak when he was interrupted by none other than Mrs Weasley.

"No, they are too young, go to bed boys, Hermione, Ginny."

"But we need to know Mrs Weasley we want to fight!" Harry argued, cursing himself for not waiting for her to leave for the kitchen.

"I'm sorry Harry dear, but you can't, bed now!" She started trying to shuffle them all off too bed but none of them moved. Harry looked expectantly at his father who was watching the scene with cold eyes.

"Mrs Weasley, as Harry's father I believe I have authority over him and what he is told" James started in a dangerously quiet voice, "and from what I have heard he was the one who saw Lord Voldemort return," He looked at her expectantly almost challenging her to argue.

She flinched at the name and narrowed her eyes but resisted the temptation,

"Fine then, but remember what Dumbledore said,"

"Which bit?" Sirius asked, placing a calming hand on James shoulder.

"The bit about not telling Harry more than he needs to know" Mrs Weasley folded her arms and glared at the two men.

"I assure they won't" Lupin stated from the door where he had just stepped in.

Mrs Weasley sniffed and stood taller, "Good! He is not a member of the Order of the Phoenix, he is only 15 and –"

"He has faced Voldemort more times than the rest of us put together!" Sirius interrupted angrily, waving away Molly's protest at the use of Voldemort's name. He stood up suddenly and his chair crashed to the ground behind him making them all jump,

Mrs Weasley threw up her arms in exasperation but Harry noticed her step back from Sirius "Don't over exaggerate Sirius. You know Harry doesn't like it!"

"He's not a child Molly! He deserves to know everything and you can't protect him forever! It's better that he receives all the facts, not just some garbled nonsense!"

"I know that, but he is still at school and the adults responsible for him should remember that!" She put her hands on her hips and glared at them, they all seemed to have forgotten that the children were present.

Harry had to strain to hear James's voice as he replied,

"Are you implying that I am an irresponsible father to Harry, Mrs Weasley?" His voice was cold and his eyes like chips of ice,

"Well, you certainly haven't been around for most of his childhood, have you!"

James looked like he had just been slapped and Harry didn't blame him, his own eyes were wide with shock at the last comment. Mrs Weasley had stepped over the mark. Without a word James simply stood up and left the room, pushing past Lupin at the door.

"Mrs Weasley, do not make the mistake of thinking you are the only one who cares about Harry here" said Sirius sharply, his face white. He turned to leave the room when Mrs Weasley called after him,

"Was that a threat Mr Black?" Her voice was cold and in that moment Harry's view of the warm, kind woman he had always associated with vanished without a trace, she might love him, but they loved him to and if he was going to trust her she would have to understand that. Making a split second decision Harry pushed away the table and stood up.

"Yes Mrs Weasley, I think it was"

_I really enjoyed writing the last couple of lines of this!_

_Hope you like it,_

_Please review because reviews get me all exited!_

_Ellie x_


	4. Chapter 4 Nothing Dangerous

_Disclaimer: Roses are Red, Violets are Blue, I do not Own, So you cannot Sue _

_Enjoy!_

Now it was Mrs Weasley's turn to be shocked as Harry strode out the room without another word. He was briefly aware of the scraping of chairs behind him and the smile tugging on the corners of Lupin's lips but his first priority was to find his father.

He took the steps two at a time and his fingernails dug roughly in to the palm of his hand. How dare Mrs Weasley tell his father he couldn't look after Harry, he had died protecting him for merlin's sake. He stopped with his hand on his father's door, taking deep breaths. It creaked slightly as he pushed it open and stepped in to the dusty room. He could see a big dark lump curled up on the bed shaking violently.

"Prongs?" He said hesitantly, not sure if his father wanted peace or comfort. Two dark heads rose from the bed and he realised Sirius was there too, as a dog, whimpering gently and comforting James.

"Harry! I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have said those things, I didn't realise the Weasley's were your family now. I…"

"Prongs, stop." Harry cut across him, his voice faltered slightly then he took a deep breath "They have been very kind to me and love me yes, but Mrs Weasley had no right to say those things to Sirius or you, I love you more than anybody right know and Mrs Weasley has to appreciate that, even though I have only known you one day it feels like I have known you a lot longer and she is going to have to understand that if she wants to part of my life. Ok?"

As his father nodded and sat up, rubbing his eyes, Harry jumped on to the bed and gave fierce hug which he glad to feel his father return, he was overjoyed that his father was finally getting to grips with the situation. Sirius tried to push between them as a dog and James and Harry laughed happily and Sirius joined in with a series of barks. Once Sirius had transformed back and Harry was sitting between them against the headboard James began.

"You see Harry, Order of the Phoenix –"

"FILTHY BLOODTRAITORS, MUDBLOODS, DISGRACE TO THE WIZARDING WORLD, TRAITORS OF THE DARK LORD AND PUREBLOODS ALIKE, FOUL LOATHSOME FILTHY MUDBLOODS, DISGRACE TO THE NOBLE AND MOST ANCIENT HOUSE OF BLACK…" A shrieking started down stairs and at first Harry though it was Mrs Weasley but quickly pushed that thought from his mind as Sirius leapt out of bed and charged down the stairs,

"Bloody Mother," Harry heard him curse as they followed him down to the hall way where Harry was astounded to find a portrait screaming. He watched shocked as Remus, Sirius and James struggled to pull a curtain over the portrait so ran forward to help. Finally the noise subsided and they all stood panting in the hall.

"My mother " Sirius said between breaths, "Can't get the bloody thing down, been trying for years, just about anything sets her off nowadays, must have a permanent sticking charm on her." They all glared accusingly towards Ginny who was trying to prop up an umbrella stand back up in the corner, her face was as red as her hair,

"Sorry," She muttered, struggling with the heavy stand. Harry ran forwards to help and easily propped it upright again. His skin tingled where he had touched Ginny's and he saw her blush again, but decided to ignore it.

"Ginny, could you ask Ron, Hermione, Fred and George to meet us in my room please" He asked, suddenly deciding they should all be given an equal chance to find out about the order. She blushed again, mumbled something and set up off the stairs.

XOX

By the time James, Sirius and Remus had finished explaining about the order Harry's mind was reeling. He found out about Voldemort gathering an army and Fudge refusing to believe Voldemort was back. He was also amused to find out that Kingsley Shacklebolt, who was in charge of the hunt for Sirius was also in the order, and had been feeding the ministry information about Sirius being in Tibet. Sirius had also mentioned a weapon but none of them had any real details about it, or so they said.

Most of them were asleep in their chairs when the Marauders finished so it was universally decided that everybody would just stay where they were tonight. As Harry started to drop off to sleep he heard Remus, Sirius and James become very excited about something and strained to listen but he couldn't quite catch the words.

When he awoke he realised that the heavy weight on his shoulder was actually Ginny's head. Her hair smelt like strawberries and Harry was quite comfortable to leave her sleeping there. Sirius was in dog form on the rug (having being pushed off the bed) with all four paws up in the air, twitching in his sleep and whining softly. Hermione was on the same sofa as Harry and Ginny, she also appeared to be dreaming. James and Remus were on the bed, fully clothed and back to back. The twins were each on a camp bed under the window and Ron was on a very old cushioned chair. His mouth was hanging open and he was snoring terrifically. Harry smiled as he gazed at his friends and family, every single person in the room was special to him in one way or another and had taught him something valuable over the years.

Ginny started to stir and turned red when she realised where she was. She opened her mouth to apologize and Harry shook his head. There was no need. He had enjoyed having her lean on him for the night. He saw her smile as she settled down on him and smiled back, she was beautiful when she smiled.

Soon Sirius woke up and Harry found out this meant everybody else got woken up in a variety of unpleasant ways, apart from Remus, somehow he got away, but woke up anyway. Harry supposed it was because he was still tired from the full moon three nights previously. With everybody still cursing Sirius and drying their hair James bounded out of bed,

"C'mon Moony, show the children your new trick!" Harry perked up and realised this must have been what exited them the night before. They all watched intently as Lupin moved to the middle of the room and crouched down. Suddenly a large wolf appeared where he stood. He was magnificent to look at and was primarily a pale sandy colour although he had thick shady grey ridge along his back. He was as about the same size as Sirius when he was a dog and stood tall and proud with clear blue eyes, his pointy triangular ears alert.

"Awwww" rang from both of the girls and they looked to James for approval.

"Go ahead, his bites aren't even dangerous" James grinned and they both dropped off the couch to pet him. Looking slightly disgruntled Sirius hopped up on to the couch beside Harry and nudged him with a cold, wet, nose.

"Feeling left out Padfoot?" Harry murmured, absently scratching the black dog behind the ears. Sirius closed his eyes and whined as James came to stand beside Harry.

"It was Dumbledore worked out how to make Moony change on command actually," He began, answering all Harry's unspoken questions, "at the full moons he will still change in to a dangerous werewolf with a longer snout and all, but, we couldn't leave him all alone whilst we went off to Hogwarts, he can't get a job now some stupid Umbridge woman," He spat the name "Has tightened the laws, so he is going to come as my second dog and all, just going to pretend he is a husky or something, most people don't know the difference. It's gonna be great, especially with you being there!" He ruffled Harry's hair and they both grinned, "You have to take both of them on the train though, Dogs can't apperate." Harry was still contemplating the downsides of this when Mrs Weasley called them down for breakfast.

XOX

The last two weeks of the holiday passed them by in a flash. They mainly spent the time cleaning and playing games. It turned out the James was amazing at chess, much to Harry's annoyance, and could even give Ron a run for his money. They got sent the booklists early so that they could visit Diagon Alley before it got too busy and buy all their books, a task difficult to complete when everybody wanted to check that James was real and offer him interviews.

"What did Death feel like Mr Potter?"

"Is it true that you are a death eater in disguise?" (like anybody in their right mind was going to say yes to that one)

"How did you do it Mr Potter?"

"10,000 galleons Mr Potter, just a few questions for you if you agree?

The questions were endless.

When they finally got back to the house their real Hogwarts letters were waiting. Harry didn't even bother to open his but the Mrs Weasley insisted that the others did. The look on Ron's face when a prefect badge fell out was priceless but Hermione seemed to be expecting it.

"I knew it, I just knew it!" She beamed, giving Ron a tight hug, and Mrs Weasley wasn't any better,

"Oh Ronniekins! A prefect! That's nearly the whole family now!" She nearly cried, dolling out her famous bone-crushing hugs to anybody who stood close enough. "You should have a reward! And a special dinner to celebrate!" They were still discussing rewards and nobody noticed Harry slip silently away.

Downcast he trudged up the stairs to visit Buckbeak, bowing solemnly to the feathered beast before sitting down beside him. He had a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach and tried to push it away. Jealousy.

"I suppose I'm just used to getting all the attention eh?" He murmured, running his hand through the glossy feathers of the hippogriff. Buckbeak made a quiet cawing noise. "Just used to everybody saying well done Harry, thanks for saving us "yet again!"" He yawned softly. Suddenly the door creaked open,

"Harry, you alright kiddo?" It was James, Harry noticed his wand by his side and wondered briefly what was making him nervous, then he remembered the Hippogriff.

He stared numbly down in to the little concrete yard at the back of the house. When he finally trusted himself to speak his ignored the question,

"How did you know I was here? I didn't think anybody saw me leave." The last part came out as more of a statement.

"What fathers are for I suppose… being over observant of their offspring." James shrugged with a sad smile and Harry knew that he was thinking of Lily, "You know, it's normal to feel jealous and all. When Sirius first moved in to my place, I was." He settled himself on the floor beside Harry, leaning up against the wall. Harry cocked his head to one side, listening closely. "I was an only child you see and, the Potters are a rich branch of pure-bloods. My parents were strict enough but I still ran a little wild, and I was used to getting all the attention. Sirius turned up, two in the morning I think. Broken arm, covered in bruises, very little luggage. Mum and Dad, your grandparents, they took him in instantly. He spent at least a week in bed, mum doting on his every need, I suppose I felt a little insignificant even though Sirius wanted me there. I got a little jealous then, I think I refused to visit him for about two days. Then Dad came, sat me down and explained the situation and all. Apparently Padfoot had been left under the Cruciatus curse for considerable lengths of time that summer, we were all very lucky he wasn't losing his mind. But then again, he was always very stubborn. I knew he had been physically beaten for ending up in Gryffindor, but finding out about the unforgivable really shocked me, I don't know why though, his parents had threatened it often enough." James stopped and sighed, staring ahead as if he could see straight through the bloody wall in front of him. "Finding out about his torture brought it all back to reality. I stopped being a jealous schoolboy and allowed him to fully become the brother he already was." James gave a small smile. "Mum and Dad always used to introduce us as their two sons, it was funny watching people try to work out how we were related." He chuckled at the memory and turned to Harry, "It'll work out fine kiddo, don't worry. And if all else fails, you've always got me. I must count for something." He stood and ruffled Harry's hair. "See you later Harry."

Harry nodded numbly as he was once again alone. Many thoughts and feelings whirled around crashing and colliding. Jealousy for Ron, pity for Sirius, admiration for James and the Grandparents he had no memory of. Finally they came to rest and Harry stood up, he knew most importantly that he had to go congratulate Ron, for of everybody Harry knew, the Weasley's were most deserving of reason to be happy, even Mrs Weasley and her over protective mannerisms.

_Thanks for reading –_

_A review would make my day!_

_Hope you like the Lupin Wolf_

_Another unexpected character will be making an entrance next chapter – BE WARNED_

_A special thank you to Fantasybean, your reviews had me jumping for joy! I wrote this so fast just for you, so I hope you enjoyed it. _

_Ellie x_


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